After reading the documentation for MySQL Workbench I got the impression that it's possible to alter a database in the server (e.g. add a new column) and later incorporate the DDL changes into your EER diagram. At least, it has a Synchronize Model option in the Database menu. I found it a nice feature because I could use a graphic modelling tool without becoming its prisoner.

In practice, when I run such tool I'm offered these options:

Model             Update  Source
================  ======  ======
my_database_name  -->     ! N/A
   my_table_name  -->     ! N/A
N/A               -->     ! my_database_name
   N/A            -->     ! my_table_name

I can't really understand it, but leaving it as is I basically get:

DROP SCHEMA my_database_name
CREATE SCHEMA my_database_name
CREATE TABLE my_table_name

This is dump of the model that overwrites all remote changes in my_table_name.

Am I misunderstanding the feature?